On The Eve of Christmas Eve

Today is the eve of Christmas Eve. I sometimes think that I like Christmas Eve better than Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is still full of all the wonder and excitement and anticipation of the big day. Christmas Day is kind of whirlwind of food, family and gifts, and it goes by really fast and leaves you feeling sort of let down at the end.

Christmas Eve on the other hand (at least in my world) is much better! In my family, we get together with my Dad on Christmas Eve, and normally I have to work. So, the day is full of food and laughter all day at the office. The work load is very light and most of the departments bring in food and pass out cards and goodies. Everyone is laughing and sharing goodwill with everyone else. Then we hand to Dad's for a gift exchange and a big dinner! This year the company has given us Christmas Eve off, so I will get to spend the day cooking and shopping.

Everything that HAS to be purchased as been purchased, so any shopping that we do today or tomorrow will just be for fun. Shopping without the pressure to find the perfect gift, or any gift. You can enjoy the hustle and bustle without getting caught up in it!

Yesterday, Smug-Hub and I looked at 3 more houses and they all sucked! We decided to wait until the hot sheet comes out on January 2 before we make a decision about bidding on the Reedland house.

After that we headed downtown. There were street vendors selling everything from hand painted bird feeders to fresh, hot kettle corn. We ran into my mom and my nephew and Smug-Hub bought some kettle corn for us all to share. We started to walk over to the Orvis store and ran into 4 different people from the office on the way. Everyone walking around downtown was in a good mood, most people you passed said Merry Christmas to each other. Everyone was smiling and having a good time.

We then all went to the Tahi place for lunch and met up with a couple that Smug-Hub and I used to hang out with all the time before they moved away. So the 6 of us ate lunch together. Then mom and Will left to take Will to a show called Winter Wonderland that the local theater put on for kids. Smug-Hub and I headed to the toy store to pick up one last minute gift. The store was full, but not in a crazy way. Perhaps the fact that we were not crazy or panicked helped the scene feel less intense!

We came home after that and got a phone call from the realtor. He told us that the selling agent of the Reedland house called him to let him know that they were showing the house to another couple for the second time. He said that sometimes Realtors will use this as a selling tactic, so he did not know if it was true or not. This sent us into a tailspin. Should we bid, should we wait, etc.... We talked with our parents and his brother and Smug-Sister and finally decided that if this was meant to be our house, it would happen. If it was not meant to be, rushing into bidding would not make a difference. I hope that this is the right decision and we don't let this house slip through our fingers....

Today is Sunday, I plan on getting the house cleaned up a bit, doing laundry and spending a lot of time on the couch. This head cold is getting better, and I don't want to over do it! Smug-Hub was talking about going to mass, but since he did not come to bed until about 4am, I doubt that will happen! We may head out to the mall to see if there are any good sales, but then again, we may just stay home!

Tomorrow, We are meeting with my Dad about 5:30, so I can spend the whole day cooking. I can make everything that I need for Christmas Eve and Christmas day at the same time! I want to make some cookies too, cause I have these cool cookie cutters! Maybe I will pick up the stuff to make those while we are out today! We can also do more shopping as we will have the whole day free!!

I have not really felt into the Christmas Spirit this year. I think that it has been trying to push through and I really think that small kitchen has a lot to do with it. I know that sounds silly, but Christmas, for me, is a lot about the food. With such a small space, things go wrong, spills happen, things fall on the floor, etc. With more space, you can spread out and things just don't go wrong as much. I have decided that since I have the whole day to make all the food that I need to make, I am going to make one thing at a time. Finish each thing before starting on the next. We will see if that makes a difference!

Happy Holiday's to EVERYONE!!!! :)